Lipavský on NATO Expansion: Turkey, Sweden and Finland need to talk together

Finland, Sweden and Turkey need to sit down together at one table in order to reach progress in the question of expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told the Czech News Agency on Monday. He said that the question is currently being looked into by NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and that he hopes a consensus will eventually be reached.

Mr Stoltenberg said on Sunday that the alliance could decide on whether to accept the two Nordic countries within its ranks at the upcoming summit in Madrid that is scheduled to take place at the end of June.

Finland and Sweden announced their willingness to join NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. However, Turkey has expressed reservations to their accession. “It is a very sensitive matter,” Mr Lipavský said on Monday.